foliation

[ foh-lee-ey-shuhn ]

noun

the act or process of putting forth leaves.
the state of being in leaf.

Botany.
- the arrangement of leaves within a bud.
- the arrangement of leaves on a plant.
leaves or foliage.
Printing. the consecutive numbering of the folios or leaves, as distinguished from pages, of a manuscript or book.
the total number of such leaves.
Petrology. a form of lamination produced in rocks by metamorphism.
ornamentation with foliage, or an arrangement of foliage.
Architecture.
- ornamentation with foils.
- ornamentation with representations of foliage.
formation into thin sheets.
the application of foil to glass to make a mirror.

Origin of foliation

First recorded in 1615–25; foliate + -ion

Other words from foliation

sub·fo·li·a·tion, noun
su·per·fo·li·a·tion, noun

Words Nearby foliation

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use foliation in a sentence

The recesses on the sides of the other cusps indicate their single or double lines of foliation.
The Stones of Venice, Volume III (of 3) | John Ruskin
Between the asterisk in my text (supra) and the one following ford before the foliation mark f. 364, the ai.
The Bbur-nma in English | Babur, Emperor of Hindustan
On the oak-beamed ceiling, across the ivory rosettes, a single bar of red sunlight lay, broken by rafter and plaster foliation.
The Younger Set | Robert W. Chambers
The design of the slab on the south, formerly the back, is also rude foliation.
Records of Woodhall Spa and Neighbourhood | J. Conway Walter
Simple Gothic foliation is merely the triple, quadruple, or variously multiple repetition of such intersection.
The Eagle's Nest | John Ruskin

British Dictionary definitions for foliation

foliation

/ (ˌfəʊlɪˈeɪʃən) /

noun

botany
- the process of producing leaves
- the state of being in leaf
- the arrangement of leaves in a leaf bud; vernation
architect
- ornamentation consisting of foliage
- ornamentation consisting of cusps and foils

any decoration with foliage
the consecutive numbering of the leaves of a book
geology the arrangement of the constituents of a rock in leaflike layers, as in schists

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for foliation

foliation

[ fō′lē-ā′shən ]

The set of layers visible in many metamorphic rocks as a result of the flattening and stretching of mineral grains during metamorphism.

Other words from foliation

foliated adjective

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